Scottish Philosophy in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries

This is a remarkable collection of essays. The contributors give ample evidence of the vigour and dynamism of philosophical debate in Scotland during the last two centuries. They also show how much of it was concerned with the impact of German Idealism on the philosophical tradition of the Scottish Enlightenment. Consider, for example, Dixon's analysis of Thomas Brown's contribution to philosophy and his engagement with Reid's position; Graham's ‘[r]e-examination’ (p. 47) of William Hamilton's reading of Kant, Cousin and Schelling in relation to the theory of Common Sense; Boucher's thorough account of James Frederick Ferrier's attempt to free himself from Scottish Common Sense philosophy and his position as a ‘more sceptical’ idealist than Hegel (p. 160). The uneasy relationship between Scottish philosophy and German Idealism is demonstrated further by Boucher who reminds us of Edward Caird's preference for Kant over Hegel (p. 165). More important, however, is the authors’ specific effort to connect their reader with those areas of Scottish philosophy which have been largely overlooked. As the story of Scottish philosophy unrolls, it becomes more and more evident that the meaning of the term ‘Scottish philosophy’ is not settled: the book is peppered with explicit and implicit reminders of the recurring need to re-evaluate this concept. First and foremost, the tradition of equating Scottish philosophy with the philosophy of Common Sense is contested (p. 304). Secondly, Scottish philosophy is carefully located within the framework of nineteenth-century and twentieth-century philosophy. This is done by showing Scottish thinkers’ productive engagement with Idealism and Positivism and by exploring the ways in which Scottish philosophy influenced Maine de Biran, C. S. Peirce, William James and others. Graham capitalizes on other authors’ contributions to the search for a broader or more precise definition of Scottish philosophy and addresses the issue of the identity of Scottish philosophy directly in the book's final chapter.

Common sense · Enlightenment · Epistemology · German · German idealism · German philosophy · Hegelianism · Idealism · Meaning (existential) · Modern philosophy · Relation (database) · Scottish Enlightenment · Skepticism · Western philosophy · Classical Philosophy and Thought · Philosophy

• David Hume Is Pontiff of the World

  Open Access•Amity Jordan, Alexander Jordan•Journal of British Studies•2017

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